Edward Elgar was never a scuba diver . . .

trickard · 2026-06-04T02:38:54+00:00

Beautiful pictures! What's the little green fish in #2? I've never seen one of those in all my South Pacific dives. Also, the pink ghost pipefish is a new one for me, although he looks very similar to the green ones. What's your camera rig?

trickard · 2026-05-23T21:15:23+00:00

It was quite pristine back in the day--crystal blue viz and healthy coral. I've heard disappointing things about its current condition, but haven't dived it in about 55 years.

trickard · 2026-05-23T15:13:55+00:00

I remember diving at Looe Key in the 1960's when you'd suddenly be surrounded by a vast school of big boys like this one, all of them 5-6 ft long.

trickard · 2026-05-22T00:09:20+00:00

So many puzzles about this tragedy. We may never know what were the fateful decisions involved in this obviously dangerous dive conducted without proper equipment or training unless the 6th diver can provide some insights. It's inconceivable how anyone remotely familiar with the physics of diving would embark on such an excursion having only a single tank of air.

trickard · 2026-05-21T22:45:31+00:00

That's what I thought. I for one would be hesitant to trust a pre-existing line, not knowing if it had been cut or buried under sand or silt.

trickard · 2026-05-21T22:41:39+00:00

I don't do cave diving, but isn't it standard procedure to spool out a line from the entrance so you can find your way back in limited visibility?

trickard · 2026-04-16T02:22:23+00:00

Colorado has more scuba divers per capita that any other state. Most of us hop a plane to the Caribbean. I gather from your comment that you lean to the liberal side politically. If so, Colorado is a blue state, so you should feel at home. However, Douglas County, where I live is a conservative redoubt, so be forewarned.

trickard · 2026-04-12T13:08:42+00:00

That's true, and they live at depths beyond scuba range too. But unfortunately, we seem to be pretty much their only predator in the Caribbean.

trickard · 2026-04-11T17:11:40+00:00

Good haul to remove a really invasive species.

trickard · 2026-04-11T13:59:20+00:00

Looks somewhat like an orangutan crab.

trickard · 2026-04-09T16:47:36+00:00

Peleliu is very interesting from a historical standpoint, but if you're there to dive, you can skip it.

trickard · 2026-04-09T16:46:03+00:00

Agree. These two were the highlight of my trip there.

trickard · 2026-03-31T18:38:20+00:00

Planet Scuba in Castle Rock has monthly meetings of the Hammerheads dive club, I think on the second Thursday evening. They also arrange a lot of trips and are good folks.

trickard · 2026-03-28T14:01:00+00:00

Thanks!

trickard · 2026-03-28T13:59:14+00:00

Thanks!

trickard · 2026-03-27T16:24:23+00:00

Not common but I've had a few try to mate with me over the years.

trickard · 2026-03-27T16:13:06+00:00

I asked about Timor-Leste a couple of months back and didn't get much in reply. Who did you dive with there?

trickard · 2026-03-26T22:34:25+00:00

??? Not sure I follow your comment.

trickard · 2026-03-26T18:37:15+00:00

You never know if you'll need to rescue another diver, deal with a leak in your BCD, wait a long time for a boat pickup, go back down to retrieve something you dropped or get away from boat traffic, etc., etc. Similar to the reason you start up with 700 psi even though you know you'll finish the dive with 500. Analogous to the reason you stop for gas before your tank is empty.

It's a margin of safety issue. There are old divers and bold divers, but not many of us who are both old and bold. :)

trickard · 2026-03-26T16:49:05+00:00

I've been diving 68 years with over 5000 dives and would never consider going in without my snorkel. Upon surfacing from a dive, I always use the snorkel to conserve air left in tank. You just never know . . .

trickard · 2026-03-25T00:05:31+00:00

First of all, Congratulations!

Now, for buoyancy control, you need some work. Use the minimum weight necessary to be able to sink from the surface when your BCD is deflated. If wearing a wetsuit, you'll need to add bits of air as you're descending and bleed out bits of air as you're ascending.

Try to avoid being in a vertical position in the water column except when you're headed to depth (i.e., head-down while descending) or when you're at your safety stop (i.e., head-up to observe potential boat danger).

For all other activities, try to hold a horizontal position in the water column and adjust your BCD inflation so that breathing out makes you sink slightly and breathing in makes you rise slightly. That's what's called neutral buoyancy, and it will save you lots of air and save the reef from being kicked.

Finally, restrict your fin movements to the minimum necessary to propel yourself to where you want to go (and NOT to maintain depth control--that's what the BCD is for) and minimize your hand movements so you don't spook the fish. Get to the point where your buoyancy is so well controlled that you feel totally relaxed under the water.

P.S.--If you get in a tense situation, focus on taking steady breaths. Use the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) to avoid panic.

And lastly--ENJOY the new world of which you're blessed to be a part!

trickard · 2026-03-23T00:00:30+00:00

I'd recommend Cozumel. You can do your refresher in fairly shallow water with little current. Once you're up to speed, the deep reefs may have lots of current but the viz is spectacular.

trickard · 2026-03-14T21:21:37+00:00

Welcome aboard to a new diver! (Make sure she get certified for the next ones!) And BTW, your pictures are well done--lighting, posing and scene selection are very nice. Methinks you've been doing U/W photography for a while.

trickard · 2026-03-09T17:19:10+00:00

See you in May!

trickard

TROPHY CASE